Judge denies bail for girl, 15, co-accused with boyfriend in 'vicious' Winnipeg homicide
CBC
Warning: The following story contains graphic details.
A 15-year-old girl from Stonewall, Man., accused of premeditated murder with her boyfriend late last month, will remain behind bars for now.
The teen and her boyfriend, 17, from Warren, Man., stand accused of luring Paul Enns, 43, to a vacant parking lot in Assiniboine Park late in the evening of Feb. 25, where they allegedly fatally attacked and robbed him.
On Tuesday, provincial court Judge Lindy Choy denied a bail request sought by the girl's lawyer, David Wolfe Walker, saying the evidence against her appears strong.
The co-accused is scheduled to have a bail hearing in early April.
The decision to deny pre-trial bail to a youth is considered rare, but Choy sided with Crown attorneys John Hamm and Jodi Koffman in keeping the teen detained at the Manitoba Youth Centre correctional facility.
"I find there are exceptional circumstances," the judge said in court on Tuesday. "The nature of the assault and its ferocity is one which the public would find so shocking as to demand continued detention."
The identities of the girl and her boyfriend are protected under a publication ban. They have both been charged with second-degree murder and robbery.
The Crown contends they stabbed Enns multiple times, beat him with weapons and left him for dead.
"This was torturous," Hamm said Monday. "The type and seriousness of the injuries evidence a brutal, vicious and prolonged attack."
Assiniboine Park security located Enns dead in the back seat of his vehicle early in the morning of Feb. 26 and reported it to police.
On Monday, Crown attorneys presented witness testimony, cellphone and other evidence they say tie the pair to the murder and support trying the girl as an adult.
A witness interviewed by police said the boyfriend had robbed Enns before. The Crown confirmed Enns had filed a police report about a past robbery.
In the lead up the fatal attack, Hamm said the girl created a fake Instagram account she used to engage with Enns. Analysis of her phone showed her "actively engaging the victim 106 times" the night of the homicide, court heard.
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